Practically every small business owner knows that the federal government notoriously favors large corporations over small businesses in a variety of ways. Huge corporations gobble up government contracts, grants, etc. leaving small businesses with almost nothing to latch onto. The Obama administration has repeatedly promised to reverse this unfortunate trend, but so far, there’s been very little activity to get excited about in this issue area.
Today the Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced that a successful Michigan-based small business program, Commerce Connect, will be branching out nationwide. Commerce Connect is designed to cut through the red tape and consolidate several existing departments into a single entity. The agency offers small businesses a wide array of services, including financial assistance, management solutions, and legal referrals. The agency helps all businesses, but would like to focus on start-ups for the time being. The Great Recession has created numerous barriers to would be entrepreneurs, which is why the program intends to zero in on this vital economic sector. Part of this plan includes improving the Commerce Connect website, to ensure easy access from any location. Secretary Locke describes the new site as a “one stop shop,” for small business owners, which reiterates the agency’s intention to simplify the entire process of attaining government support.
There’s no word yet about where the new field offices will be located. Here’s hoping they’ll be in a city near you! In the meantime, check out the revamped site here. It’s a little short on content right now, but there’s certainly a lot of room for growth. There are plenty of links to sort through with additional contact information and a brief explanation of what each bureau actually does. We hope you find this helpful and wish Commerce Connect continued success!